The new daily quest hub, the Isle of Thunder, has several phases that unlock more content features. This will be tested as well in the upcoming month.

Also of note: In Patch 5.2, existing Valor Points and are once again being reset with a new raid and arena season. However, what's different is that existing gear purchasable with Valor Points will continue to cost Valor Points instead of being downgraded to Justice Points.

5.2 Currency Conversions

Blizzard

Patch 5.2 introduces a new raid tier and PvP season, and so the higher tier currencies will be down-converted during maintenance. This time around there won’t be a soft cap, old Valor items aren’t changing to cost Justice, and we’re adding a new rank of PvP gear. Let’s break down exactly how it’s all going to harmoniously work together.

Justice Points above the 4000 cap is converted to gold at a rate of 47 silver per point

So let’s say the realms go down for the 5.2 patch and you have 450 Valor Points and 3800 Justice. Because of the 4000 Justice cap, you’d log back in after the patch is released with 0 Valor Points, 4000 Justice, and be 117 gold and 50 silver richer after the conversion.

With 5.2 we won’t be changing current Valor Points items to cost Justice, but they will be much cheaper (discounts from 50-75% off their current costs). You’ll need to acquire Valor Points after the patch is released to buy pieces for their discounted rate, or to buy the new 5.2 Valor Points items, but we’re also introducing new items to spend your Justice on, including heirlooms and Pet Battle stones.

above the 4000 cap is converted to gold at a rate of 35 silver per point

For example, if I log out before the 5.2 maintenance period with 450 and 3800 , my excess of 250 would be converted, and so when I log in after 5.2 is released I would have 0 , 4000 , and be 87 gold and 50 silver richer.

In 5.2 we’re introducing an entirely new tier of PvP gear that will be purchasable with Honor to help smooth out the gearing progression for new and returning players, alts, etc. so they can catch up and be a bit more successful coming in mid-season or even mid-expansion. You can read more about all the changes being made surrounding that in the PvP Gear blog we posted a few weeks back.

Isle of the Thunder King: Unlock Schedule

Nethaera

Pandaria, her hills of goldIn dark and mournful times of oldDid once a hopeless horror hold

When from her sacred vale did springWith storm and flash, a monstrous thing!His name, Lei Shen: The Thunder King.

World of Warcraft Path 5.2: The Thunder King is almost here. The Kirin-Tor Offensive, led by Jaina Proudmoore, and the Sunreaver Onslaught, championed by Lor’themar Theron, are converging on the Isle of the Thunder King to topple the first emperor before he can wreak havoc across Pandaria. Their campaign will march slowly across the island, unlocking new content over time.

We’re ready to test the full breadth of the island, and that’s where you come in: Players who participate on the Public Test Realm can enjoy an accelerated unlock schedule, blasting from the beach to the shores and into the Thunder King’s inner citadel in a matter of a few short weeks. By participating, you’ll be a great asset to Jaina and Lor’themar. More importantly, you’ll help us knock out any nasty problems with the island and its progression before we go live.

Transfer over a character and report to the Vale of Eternal Blossoms for instructions!

Below is a tentative unlock schedule. This is of course subject to change and does not reflect patch release dates.

Active – PTR set to stage 0. The Sunreavers and Kirin-Tor will besiege the island from offshore. Feb 8 – PTR set to Stage 1. You’ll be able to conquer a foothold on the island itself.Feb 12– PTR set to stage 2. With your help, Jaina and Lor’themar will blast the walls and infiltrate the outer city.Feb 15– PTR set to stage 3. Daring players can infiltrate the mines and blast open the doors to the Thunder Forge.Feb 19 – PTR set to stage 4. Black further Zandalari reinforcements by overtaking the shipyard.Feb 22 – PTR set to stage 5. Fight your way to the Thunder King’s front door! Jaina and Lor’themar will have a ... reckoning.

LFR Testing on PTR

Watcher

We're planning on opening the LFR wings of the Throne of Thunder raid sequentially, beginning on Thursday, February 7, by 11am PST (2pm EST, 8pm CET). We will leave LFR open through the weekend, so hop on the PTR, check it out, and share your feedback!

The item level requirement for the 5.2 LFR sections is 480 -- if you can't meet this threshold, note that there are vendors with epic PvP and PvE set pieces that may help you reach it.

Comments

Comment by gnomerdon

give us shared events like isle of kael tha'las in the burning crusade, bloodshed everywhere.

small area, no flying, and insane killing.

main reason, too many free decent mmo's out there, or mmo's that don't have a monthly subscription fee. the fact that their still this strong is amazing despite people monthly for it.

this is still pretty good in my opinion

Comment by deathbyte

on 2013-02-07T23:25:36-06:00

yes,i see the problem.i also know that there is nothing more fun than a low level player on a pvp server to have a lv 90 swoop down and one shot a lowbie. but it happens.me personally idc.i just log and get my lv 90 and go looking.but alot of low levelers don/t have that option.and don't say move to a p v e server.maybe they have friends where they are.

Well then...welcome to a PVP server; you should have known what you were getting into when you choose that realm type. It sucks massive elekk balls sure, but that's how the server is set up.

But, don't you admit there's a difference between:

1. It happens occasionally.

2. It happens so often I can't level

And people who joined a PvP server joined because they expected #1, which was the case for 7 years. Now they get #2, which they never signed up for.

Cheers.

Honestly since CRZ and MoP has come out I have leveled a toon to 90 from scratch and multiple ones into the 40s+ and i have only been ganked a few times total, less than 10 for sure. I have also never had any problem doing quests because of there not being enough mobs to kill. And I don't play on a PvE server

Comment by Interest

on 2013-02-08T01:04:09-06:00

So, justice points will still have no use after you've geared beyond 458 in any slot (beyond maybe converting to HP and buying PvP gear)?

Heirlooms is the only thing you've missed there.

Cheers.

Brb, trading it in for honor anyways ;3.

Also, numbers are stabilizing. Not surprising...

Comment by Xedosz

on 2013-02-08T02:05:01-06:00

Hmm, i was expecting a bigger drop in subs. Though i was only guessing based on the number of players online in my guild and on my realm.

Glad to see i was wrong.

Comment by Sas148

on 2013-02-08T02:47:30-06:00

$144M a month just from subscribers. That's pretty awesome.

Actually, scratch that... that includes worldwide and not everyone pays the same nor does it account for people who've paid for 6-month plans (who get the slight discount on monthly subscription).

Still, glad to see they're doing so well. I want the game to continue!

Also, kind of surprised. They made more in 2012 than they (Activision Blizzard) did in 2011. I was expecting it to go down a bit. But, their subscription income did go down in 2012 from 2011.

Comment by Xedosz

on 2013-02-08T04:17:17-06:00

Also, kind of surprised. They made more in 2012 than they (Activision Blizzard) did in 2011. I was expecting it to go down a bit. But, their subscription income did go down in 2012 from 2011.

Mists of Pandaria. Diablo 3. No surprise really.

Comment by wexorian

on 2013-02-08T04:31:12-06:00

acelerated Events? what it need 2 week on acelerated , on Normal speed we will need 1 month or more to reach conclusion on island, also we get patch mid march seems i and most players will be out for a month soon. Again Grind dailies with 110 rep per quest like golden lotus i bet.

Comment by Pelontir

on 2013-02-08T07:06:36-06:00

With how fast a player's power increases - exponentially at later levels - they really should add a reverse-level cap to world PvP, maybe at 5 levels: "Your target's level is too low to attack, try picking on someone your own size". If you think you're hot stuff you'd be more than welcome to attack someone more than 5 levels above you, they just wouldn't be able to attack you first.

Or scalable honor, scalable in both directions so attacking a target too many levels below you results in negative honor with more honor lost per level difference?

I like both of the ideas above, with any of these 2 ideas implemented there will be less annoying ganking.

Comment by BosephHeyden

on 2013-02-08T08:30:29-06:00

People on my server quit because barely anyone raids, and the ones who do are STILL on MV. And it isn't really gear that's the problem. For whatever reason, if a guild can't get 8 people to raid, they don't. They could have a very capable raid leader available and vent, but if they have to PUG more than two, they won't bother, since completing it won't count for the guild.

Comment by lankybrit

on 2013-02-08T15:05:37-06:00

BTW: If you want a look at a graphic trend of the number of subscribers:

Comment by Catcubus

on 2013-02-08T18:47:49-06:00

I'm really curious if part of the reason why there is a lack of players this time around has to do with the CRZ business. The first month it was released, there was a crap ton of people who swore they were quitting WoW until it was removed -- especially coming from people on unbalanced PVP servers where it went bad from worse. Also including those who claimed to have server transferred to low pop servers on purpose because they didn't want to be on a high pop server becoming very PO'ed that the money they spent on transfers was all in vain.

Of course there IS the fact that not a lot of people were happy with MoP as a whole and there is the other issue that WoW is an older game and a lot of players have and are reaching burnout. I myself still have my subscription going, but I'm no where near as interested in the game like I was a year ago.

I honestly find myself loging in to hang out with friends and run old world raids rather than actually do current raid content. Iunno, I'm just burnt out on raiding and queuing for heroics over and over again. Plus all these g'damn dailies make me want to vomit. Yes they offer pretty mounts and pretty pets and pretty upgrades, but I don't have the drive to do them anymore like I used to.

I'm kinda curious if Blizzard shut off CRZ would people who actually quit (actually quit, not threatened to) would come back or if they've weened themselves off WoW altogether.

Comment by Adamsm

on 2013-02-08T18:50:25-06:00

I'm really curious if part of the reason why there is a lack of players this time around has to do with the CRZ business.

I honestly doubt it.

Comment by WordsofIvory

on 2013-02-09T10:29:39-06:00

But, don't you admit there's a difference between:

1. It happens occasionally.

2. It happens so often I can't level

And people who joined a PvP server joined because they expected #1, which was the case for 7 years. Now they get #2, which they never signed up for.

Cheers.

I've been playing WoW since Vanilla beta, and I can state quite reliably that people have pretty much been whining and $%^&*ing about being incessantly ganked by lowbies since practically day one.

You're living in a bubble of nostalgia.

Comment by OneLonelyPickle

on 2013-02-11T01:52:26-06:00

one reason you are losing subscribers imo is that 99% of all the updated content is aimed at high level players and nothing new is there to lure lower level players who got either frustrated or discouraged. there isn't alot to keep them.they see everything for end game and raids and not much for them to want to grind thru the leveling process.

Personally, the sole reason I capped my first character was BECAUSE I wanted to be a part of the end game raiding (specifically to kill Arthas :P). That's the point anyway. To reach the level cap and start really "experiencing" the game.

I think the real issue why they're losing subs is because their classic demographic (15-40 year old males) are now playing online games with their next-gen consoles. When WoW was first released (2005-2008), online console gaming wasn't quite as popular as it is now, nor were the consoles as cheap. Now, with Xbox 360s at a cheap $200~ pricetag, and the yearly cost of online play at a mere $70 (to WoWs $200ish cost), people are seeing it as a better alternative. The gameplay is usually "pick up and play" to WoW's sometimes-intimidating "play for ten hours a day or fall behind" mentality. In the past, this was fine, since WoW was the first of it's kind in many respects. But there are so many other games out there that "steal" potential WoW players simply because they're discovered first or are "free-to-play". Now, you are right in saying that WoW doesn't start off enthralling enough to keep most players all the way to the expansion's level cap, or at least enough to give the consumer a reason to spend $200 yearly to maintain their subscription. Free-to-plays work good as "rebound games" as they're free (derp) and usually not as "intimidating" as WoW still is, even when it's been dumbed down a lot in recent years.

Basically, if I may borrow a quote from the late Terenas Menathil the Second... "no king rules forever, Blizzard" (okay, so I changed it a bit :D)

EDIT: If I may offer a useless suggestion on how to keep newer players playing? Make them feel important. Every ten levels, give them a big quest that pertains to one of the overarching storylines of the expansion content they're on (for levels 10-60, do stuff involving the old raid stuff; level 70, BC stuff, etc etc.). WoW's strongest selling point in my own opinion has been the story / lore. It's the reason why Horde players are always neck and neck with Alliance and vice-versa; "your people are actually $%^&*!@s", "no, yours are!". Use the story more strongly as players level up, like it's used in SW:TOR. Now, I've never played SW:TOR but have heard many good things about it's story, mainly that it's what makes the game so likable. So why doesn't Blizzard start doing this? Yeah, there is some story there... if you dig deep. But most players don't even read the quests they're given because it all seems so nonchalant and boring. There need to be more cutscenes, more crazy fights, more diversity with enemies and factions (it's either "this faction is neutral with others" or "this faction has just one other faction it dislikes, and you can't be friends with both"), just generally more "umph!" It's funny because most things today have too much "good looking finesse" and not enough inner juiciness (90% of Hollywood films, for example) ; WoW has a lot of gold under the hood but not a lot on the outside! Start off every character's journey with some boom, not a boring "introduction" from your racial leader and some quests killing "insert small, weak version of very common WoW monster here". Those "starting hooks" are what competitors are using to draw away Blizzard's potential customers! For example, very early in TERA you're sent to fight a big boss. In Dragon Nest, right from the get-go you're crawling in dungeons against hordes of dangerous (potentially, if you select the hardest difficulties) monsters for visible rewards.

Blizzard can't survive off of conservatism forever. Eventually they NEED to change, and drastically. A graphics overhaul or a complete reworking of the quest system. Maybe even a sequel to WoW or a spinoff. Either way, if they don't stop acting like that old war veteran who won't comply with modern social standards, and just barely gets people off his back by bringing up his old merits, they're going to find themselves lying dead on the street corner.

SECOND EDIT (because I had to say this idea too :P): How about having players fight Sargeras in some dream sequence at level 5? Like, they do some quest to level up, and then their character goes for a nap or is knocked out or something (depending on the race of the character and the beginning storyline), and as they're unconscious, they're "visited" in their dream by none other than the greatest enemy to all free life in the universe: the Destroyer of Worlds. Just picture a little level 5 pitted against a massive, ever-immolate gold titan of darkness with a massive sword and giant horns... and the surrounding area is just gnarled peaks, smoke, ash and fire? And Sargeras has a booming, demonic voice? If that doesn't get you pumped up, then you should be jumping off mountains high on drugs because you're far too insane to be living among normal people!

Comment by Axmand

on 2013-02-12T01:23:21-06:00

Since Blizzard, removes the "RAF's" that you get via the "RAF's trick" alot of people dont play WoW anymore.

Comment by Interest

on 2013-02-12T09:12:23-06:00

Also, kind of surprised. They made more in 2012 than they (Activision Blizzard) did in 2011. I was expecting it to go down a bit. But, their subscription income did go down in 2012 from 2011.

Mists of Pandaria. Diablo 3. No surprise really.

Annual pass may have contributed to some of the 2011 income.

Comment by Adamsm

on 2013-02-12T09:25:42-06:00

Annual pass may have contributed to some of the 2011 income.

Since the Pass was charged in 2011, it wouldn't affect the 2012 numbers.